German Green Party Member Drops Out Of Race After Jewish Leaders Protest Candidacy

Ulf Dunkel, former German Green Party member, has quit his party and dropped out of a local parliamentary race in Cloppenburg, Germany. According to The Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Dunkel’s candidacy was opposed by many Jewish groups and leaders, who objected to several poems he had written. Indeed, says The JTA, Dieter Graumann, head of the Central Council of Jews in Germany called Dunkel’s poems “hate-filled arrogance.”

Dunkel, says the JTA, had written at least two poems against those who practiced ritual circumcision, calling them, “blind fanatics” and “a**holes”. He also accused those who circumcised infants of being “mutilators” who circumcised “both legal rights and foreskin.” He accused them of ignoring the screams of their children who were “screaming their guts out.”

According to Haaretz, Dunkel’s poems also included the line, “Sharpen the knife, sing a hymn, cut off the member’s foreskin.” According to Die Welt, Dunkel also accused those who practiced ritual circumcision (including both Jews and Muslims) of being “cold-hearted” toward their children. He said that they were “lost” within their religions.

Some of Dunkel’s poems appeared on his Facebook page, where they caused outrage. According to Die Welt, The Central Council of Jews reacted to the posting by demanding that Dunkel withdraw from the race. Soon after, Dunkel announced his resignation.

Die Welt reports that The Green Party “welcomed” Dunkel’s resignation, and according to Der Tagesspiel, the party “distanced itself” from his remarks, saying that he sometimes went overboard and chose to engage in forms of political protest that were not suitable for someone seeking public office. However, some Green Party members defended Dunkel, saying that he was neither anti-Semitic nor xenophobic.

Although Dunkel has dropped out of the race, Haaretz reports that his name will remain on the ballot in the elections, which are set to be held on January 20th. According to Die Welt, Dunkel cannot officially withdraw his name at this time, because voting has already begun and election laws forbid it. Dunkel, however, has reportedly vowed that he will decline the seat if he wins.

According to Die Welt, Dunkel denied that he was an anti-Semite and said that he was, instead a proponent of “genital self-determination.”